“Happy New Year!!” The room echoed with the cheerful phrase as wine glasses clinked together with merriness under the bask of gentle moonlight.
Die drank down the wine greedily, his head already dizzy with a combination of vodka and Budweiser beer. The liquid ran down his shirt and teased the soft parted lips, his body bathing in the delirious feel of excitement and the heat surging through his skin. He watched the TV. set languidly and curiously when he saw a dozen hosts when in fact, there was only one.
“It’s getting late...” The blond across the room murmured, his wine glass completely untouched and neglected. Kyo hated alcohol, he hated the taste of it, the smell of it, the look of it. He watched the happiness around him getting larger and larger like a water balloon that his hands ached to pop. Damnit, even Kaoru was drunk silly. Kyo ached softly inside, wishing he could join in their festivities and share his contentment with his lover.
“Don’t...don’t ruin the fun, Kyo-kun!” Shinya laughed and hiccupped loudly, falling off the loveseat and tumbled to the ground, victim for Toshiya’s Tickle-Fest.
Kaoru plopped down beside the vocalist and give him a sloppy kiss on the cheek, licking his ear as he shook an unopened bottle of Champaign in his hands. “It’s not our fault you don’t drink, Kyo-chan...” another lick, “You know...the drunker I get...the more fun we’ll have in there...” Kaoru gestured to the closed master bedroom door and ripped out the cork with his teeth, the wine bubbling over and dripping on the pristine carpet.
Kyo was truly disgusted then, watching Kaoru in horror. He couldn’t believe this...man who’s eyes were spiritless and hazy with the effects of too much alcohol was actually Kaoru. His Kaoru! Kyo stood up in a rush to leave, wincing as he stepped in a darkening puddle on the carpet of foam from the wine. Kaoru reached out and grabbed the shorter man’s wrist, lips brushing against the back of his hand in a gentle caress.
“What...no New Year’s kiss?” Kaoru looked up with pleading eyes. Kyo resisted sinking into his warm embrace and kissing him until both their lips were bleeding, tightened his jaw and looked back at the childlike eyes coldly." No thanks. I’m leaving. Ja na.” He released his wrist from Kaoru’s grasp with a yank, grabbed his jacket and opened the door to the unwelcoming cold outside, shutting himself outside in the blistering midnight with a slam of the door behind him.
Kaoru shrugged, leaning back against the couch for support as the floor swung wildly beneath his feet. The night wore off to a bland state after Kyo’s abrupt and untimely choice to leave, Kaoru’s guests resorting to playing mundane games with each the dishware and each others’ hair.
“Ano...it is getting late...we still have to get up early tomorrow...” Toshiya let out a mighty yawn and stretched, his back arching in a feline way, hair sexily tousled and lips enticingly pouty. “Gimme a lift, Shin-chan?”
Shinya nodded and helped the bassist to the door after he failed to reach the closet for their coats. “Thanks...it was fun.” Shinya mumbled almost shyly, the alcohol was starting to wear off.
Die waved slightly, smirking to Kaoru in a wanna-make-a-bet kind of way. Kaoru crooked his head and grinned back. “Nanda...?”
“I dare you...I dare you to finish...finish that…” Die pointed with a shaking finger to the half full bottle of vodka sitting on the wooden dining table. “Chicken.” He laughed when he saw Kaoru faltering.
“Damatte...” Kaoru grabbed the bottle and took a long gulp, the wine leaked from the corners of his mouth, running down his chin and long slender throat. He was about to wipe it off with the back of his sleeve when he felt Die take his hand and push it aside and gasped when a warm mouth closed over the protrusion on his throat.
Die’s tongue circled the sensitive skin, drawing up to graze under the guitarist’s chin and then to suck his bottom lip. “You taste good.” Kaoru laughed and pulled Die onto the sofa and hooked his arms around the other’s neck, slipping a long jean clad leg between Die’s knees.
Die unzipped the wooly jacket and pressed his lips
to the top of Kaoru’s collar, and through the thin shirt he savored the warmth
of the other man’s embrace. They both sighed and Die laid his cheek on Kaoru's
chest, rubbing against the soft fabric. They drifted off into sleep without a
thought in mind.
+++
Kyo stared at his steaming coffee vacantly, stroking his thumb over the mug
handle.
"You look bothered...dooshita no?" Hakuei tapped his cigarette against the
ashtray and eyed the vocalist carefully. They had been friends an awful long
time and sure, he was a little jealous of how Kyo and Kaoru's relationship
progressed...but he wouldn't have been human otherwise. And Kyo looked
absolutely miserable.
"Huh...? Why do you think that?" The shorter blond swallowed and rubbed his
eyes. It wasn't such a big deal, he was just mad last night, that's all. Kaoru
probably didn't even remember...considering how drunk he was. So what am I
bothered about?
Hakuei narrowed his eyes and snorted a bit, resting his elbows against the
countertop. "I can see right through you, Kyo-san."
"Last night I got a little pissed off at Kaoru. That's all." Kyo sipped his
coffee stubbornly and faltered when he saw the look Hakuei shot him.
"Ok. You got a little pissed off, no problem." Hakuei's eyes softened. "Look, I'll
tell you what. Why don't you just give him a call and set a date to make it up?
Yes...that'd be good...a nice stroll somewhere, watching the sunset..." He
drifted off, caught up in his own fantasies. "You can always cry on my shoulder
if it doesn't work out, ne?"
It was a nice idea, Kyo thought, already envisioning walking hand in hand with
Kaoru down a nice grassy path as the sun passed rolling hills.
"Tch." Kyo kicked his chair aside and walked out, leaving Hakuei with the bill.
+++
Kyo sat like a rock in the seat, refusing to budge, moving an inch only when
Hakuei tried to push him out the car.
"Damnit! Why do I have to apologize?" Kyo folded his arms across his chest and
propped his feet on the dash board.
Hakuei ran out from the driver's side and stared down with mock anger at Kyo's
childish reaction. "I'll tickle you to death if you leave scuff marks. It's my
new car!" Fiendish hands reached for Kyo's side, torturing the smaller man as he
howled and squirmed. Hakuei lifted Kyo up neatly from his seat and carried the
light vocalist in his arms, struggling to hold him in place as they approached
the steps leading to Kaoru's apartment.
The two were laughing so hard they didn't hear the sound of a door opening or
footsteps coming their way.
"...Kyo?"
"Ka...Kaoru..." Kyo looked to the ground almost guiltily.
Kaoru rubbed his neck, embarrassed. Hakuei and Kyo seemed so close...closer than
he'd ever be with me.
"Shit man..." A tall man scowled from the doorstep, his shirt half unbuttoned,
appearance of someone who had just woken up. "Kyo-kun...ohayo.." Die made a
slight gesture to welcome them inside when he remembered that they stood infront
of Kaoru's house, not his own.
Uh oh...Kyo's with...Hakuei..? And...I'm...with Kaoru...oh shit. Die looked to
Kyo sheepishly to see that his eyes were glazed over with a kind of hardness.
"So what? You couldn't get me to sleep with you so you did it with Die instead?" The blonde's voice was cold and balanced.
"Kyo...it's not like that.." Kaoru offered meekly, unable to find a better explanation.
"Don't tell me what it's like! I don't wanna know!" Kyo snapped. "Come on Hakuei. Take me home." He ran down the street to Hakuei's car and stared darkly into the window.
Hakuei didn't bother to volunteer an explanation. He knew better than to stir up even more trouble between the couple. Hakuei shot a regretful look behind him and jogged to the awaiting Kyo.
"..."
Kaoru couldn't even make out Kyo's expression as the
car sped away.
+++
It was almost three days later with no word from Kaoru, and since they didn't
had no tracks to record, Kyo hardly saw his band mates either.
Die and Hakuei both left a message on his answering machine but Kyo didn't bother to call them back. He practically mauled the phone whenever it rang so Kyo was surprised there were calls he missed.
Kyo opened the door lazily, wincing as the sunlight hit his face. He hadn't gone out to get his mail for a few days and it piled on his doorstep.
Coupons...catalog...shampoo...oh, a letter. Kyo looked at the crisp envelope curiously, tucking it under his arm as he kicked the pile of junk mail to one side.
Sitting comfortably on his bed, Kyo started to open the letter, his hands clumsy with anticipation. Kyo hoped it wasn't fan mail, he was in no spirit to read such a letter. But there was no return address, so the sender must not have been a fan.
The envelope was empty, save for a small slip of paper and a bumpy object that he made out to be some kind of a bean through the envelope. Turning it upside down, a red bean fell onto the blankets with a soft thump along with the slip which floated down gracefully.
Kyo held the bean between his fingers and picked up
the piece of paper with his other hand. It was bare save for a few words written
carefully in a fat tipped pen. He lifted it to his nose and exhaled, a longing
sigh that filled the room. All of a sudden everything started to make sense.
+++
The doorbell rang and Kaoru put down a thick book, taking off his glasses. "Hold
on a minute..."
A small blob of yellow and black sprung forward, knocking the guitarist down in
a tight embrace. Kaoru's head swam and ached as it made contact with the floor,
grunting as he tried to push what seemed to him like a wild animal away. Soft
full lips pressed urgently into his own, the tongue stroking his lip demanding a
response. So he kissed back and hugged the smaller body closer. The mist cleared
and he looked up to see a very flustered Kyo who's eyes were half closed and
lips parted gently in invitation.
"Wha...what was that for?" Kaoru panted and sat up. Kyo leaned back on his
elbows with a satisfied smile written all over his shining face. "Your belated
New Year's kiss." Kaoru chuckled and motioned Kyo to come closer.
"Closer...closer..." Kyo's face was just a a hair's breath from Kaoru's and
their lips grazed each other's tauntingly until the older man moved forward,
their eyes playful and smoky in enjoyment.
"Why'd you do that..."
"Because I love you." Kaoru pulled Kyo into his lap and kicked the door closed
with one foot.
OWARI